This latest retrospective from the WWE pays tribute to Mark Calaway aka
the Undertaker who gained popularity during the WWF

There
are those who think that wrestling is nothing other than grown men in tights throwing and smacking
each other around. While this might be true for some of the "wrestlers"
currently in the industry today, Bret "the Hit Man" Hart is NOT one of those
wrestlers. After viewing this three disc set in its entirety, you'll understand
that the mark of a TRUE wrestler is one who could successfully accomplish their
own moves while insuring that their partner (opponent) is not injured. See, regardless
of the fact that each match's outcome is predetermined, the journey to the final
bell lies solely on the two (or more) people in the square circle. There are few
people in the industry that could (or have been able to) pull this off. With the
latest release from WWE Video "Bret "Hit Man"
Hart: the Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be", Vince
McMahon and the WWE pay homage to one of the finest technical wrestlers that ever
hit the
industry.

It seems that some people are predestined to follow a
certain path in life. With a wrestling ring in his basement, and a father who
was one of the most respected men in the industry (he even wrestled a tiger and
a bear!), it was no surprise when Bret followed in his father's footsteps.
Initially, he started wrestling for his dad's "Stampede" promotion
in Calgary, and once he made his debut in the WWF, he languished for some time,
before his career took off after teaming with Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart
and Jimmy Hart to form the Hart Foundation. Neidhart's aggressive, brawling
wrestling meshed well with Bret's impressive technical style. Since they were in
the midst of the "Hulkamania" era, according to Hart, Hogan and his
cohorts were getting all the attention, while the Hart Foundation's matches were mostly
overlooked. Sure, Hogan might be putting asses in the seats, but TRUE wrestling
fans knew when the real wrestling was happening - when the Hart Foundation
stepped in the ring. On January 26th, 1987, they won their first WWF World Tag Team
Championship. They held the belts for close to a year before losing to Rick
Martel and Tito Santana the following October, and it'd be three
long years before they reclaimed the title.

After losing the belts for the second time in March 21, 1991 to the Nasty
Boys, the Hart
Foundation split up and Bret struck out on his own. Once he did this, his popularity
only intensified and he had some classic matches with the likes of Curt "Mr.
Perfect" Henning and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, which resulted in Bret becoming a two time WWF Intercontinental Champion. It wasn't until 1992, in a
match with Ric Flair, that Bret won his first of five WWF World Heavyweight
Championships. As time wore on, he'd have some great matches with his brother
Owen, Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Eventually, Bret's career
in the WWF would come to an end in one of the most controversial events in wrestling
history. Following the "Montreal Screwjob", his run in the WCW was far from impressive, but that's where he spent
the remainder of his days, until Bill Goldberg cut his wrestling career short.

During the documentary, Bret shoots from the hip (no pun intended). In
actuality, his involvement was last minute (and after some careful
negotiating on Vince's part). It's been reported that over seven hours of interview footage was
shot when Bret visited WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut on August 3,
2005. If that's true, it's a shame that only two of those hours made it on to
this set. Let's hope the relationship between Vince and Bret is cordial enough
to give the fans a well-deserved second volume.

"Bret "Hit Man" Hart: the Best There Is, the
Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be" is spread over three
single-sided DVDs. Disc one contains the main feature along with some extra
moments and two MSG matches. Discs two and three contain some matches
hand-picked by Bret for inclusion on this set.

Disc 1

Main Feature
2h 27m 28s

Early Years - We're treated to the briefest
of looks at Bret's beginnings and discussion about his famous father, Stu
Hart.

Stampede Wrestling - Once he starts wresting
for his dad, we're shown his progression as a technical wrestler in
these early matches. I wasn't familiar with any of Bret's opponents, but
it's a shame that Vince didn't include some of these matches on any of the
discs.

Coming To WWE - We're given an overview of
Bret's early days in the WWF, including a peek at what could've been -
"Cowboy" Bret Hart.

Hart Foundation - Bret teams up with
Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and "the Mouth Of the South" Jimmy Hart to become
one of the greatest tag teams the WWE has ever had. In addition to putting
on some great matches, this is also the period of his life where Bret
improves his mic skills and picks up his trademark sunglasses.

Intercontinental Champion - We're not really
told why the Hart Foundation split, but after Bret became a
singles wrestler, he defeated Mr. Perfect and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper to become
the Intercontinental Champion twice during his career with the WWF. His
match against Mr. Perfect is included on disc two.

WWE Champion - Bret defeated Ric Flair to
become the WWF World Heavyweight Champion, but later lost the belt to
Yokozuna. However, there was some controversy after Hulk Hogan got involved
at the end of the match pins Yokozuna with little effort. Later, Bret went
on to become the only two time winner of the WWF's "King Of the Ring" and
would hold the Heavyweight belt four more times.

Hart Family Feud - Bret talks about his feud
with Owen. Their match at WrestleMania X is, thankfully, included on disc
two, along with a championship title match on disc three.

Iron Man Match - Bret prefaces his comments
about his Iron Man Match at WrestleMania XII by talking about Vince not
giving him "his time" in the limelight, instead working hard to push Shawn
Michaels as the next big thing for the WWF. As a result, Shawn won
the belt in a somewhat controversial fashion for the first time in his
career. See, in an "Iron Man" match, when the time limit expires in a title
match, and they decide to continue the match, the title is no longer on the
line. However, once the hour was up, Bret was called back into the ring and
Shawn pinned him for the win. AND the belt.

Stone Cold Steve Austin - The "Attitude" era of the WWF was
kicking into gear and Bret talks about his feud with Austin, culminating
with an outstanding "submission" match at WrestleMania 13 (which
is included on disc three and is also Bret's last WrestleMania appearance).

U.S.A. vs. Canada - In the midst of the aforementioned "Attitude"
era, since wrestling fans were latching on the anti-hero antics of Austin, Bret routinely saw himself getting booed before, during and after
matches. Instead of fighting it, Hart embraced it and, together with Davey
Boy Smith, Brian Pillman, his brother Owen and ex-tag team partner Jim "the
Anvil" Neidhart, they re-formed the Hart Foundation and played up the
"anti-American" angle.

Survivor Series 1997 - Bret and Shawn's animosity
simmered in Montreal during a Survivor Series PPV. If you're a fan, you
already know what happened. If not, i'll let Vince and Bret explain it on
the DVD.

the Death Of Owen Hart- During a 1999 pay-per-view, "Over the
Edge", Owen fell close to 75 feet into the ring and died shortly afterwards.
On the following episode of "Monday Night Raw", they had a tribute to Owen.
Bret did not appear, and if the dates listed on the DVD are correct, he
didn't acknowledge Owen's passing until two months later on Nitro.

Problems In WCW- Everyone interviewed for this part of his career
seem to agree that no one in the WCW seemed to know what to do with Bret.
However, in 1999 that would change during a match with Bill Goldberg. During
a StarrCade PPV, Goldberg gave Bret a concussion after kicking him in the
head (a kick that's repeated a few times on the disc). He left wrestling
altogether shortly afterwards.

Living It Up- In 2002, Bret suffered a stroke and was partially
paralyzed for some time. He's recovered, and during this segment he
talks about how the stroke has helped him realize what's important in life.

Video:"Bret "Hit Man"
Hart: the Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be" is
presented in the full frame 1.33:1 ratio and, while there are some slight differences in the textures of the video (depending on
its age), it was a pretty attractive transfer. Obviously, the older "Stampede"
footage isn't a sharp as some of Bret's later matches, but they were pretty
clean.

Audio: The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound was crystal
clear and enveloped my living room while I was watching it. All of the
matches included are in Dolby Digital 2.0 with a 192kbps bitrate.

Conclusion: In my opinion, Bret's a slightly cocky individual. However, after watching this retrospective and the matches that
were included, he has every reason to be. As I said earlier, if one were to overlook the fact
that the outcomes in the WWF were predetermined, perhaps they might realize
that Bret was one helluva wrestler. In fact, i'd dare say that he truly was "the Best There Was
& the Best There Ever Will Be". Not only that, but I think this DVD set
should be required viewing for any new hires in the WWE - hell, have some of
the "veteran" wrestlers watch it too. Perhaps they'll learn something.

While I
truly wish Vince had included more of Bret's matches on this set (the Shawn
Michaels "Iron Man" match was rumored for inclusion), but as it is,
this is a Highly Recommended DVD and I have my fingers crossed for a
follow-up volume with more classic matches.